Home, Sweet Home
by brokenmoonlight
Summary: 3rd story in the FLtNY series. No one ever said moving was easy. Not sure if the rating is right, because of the language. If you think it should be higher, please tell me!


**A/N: Another 'From London to New York' follow up. Set three months after 'Jazz Lovin''.**

**Disclaimer: Again, not mine.**

**Dedicated to Hattie, who wanted arguing and fluffy making up. Enjoy!**

**xxxx**

"Hello?"

"_Howard! Why haven't you left yet?"_

"Sorry, love. I'm nearly done – sorting these bookings is taking longer than I thought it would."

"_Can't someone else do them? It's not as if you haven't known about this for weeks. You said you'd only be a couple of hours!"_

"I know, I know. Give me half an hour, okay?"

"_All right. I'll see you soon."_

**An hour later...**

"_Where the hell are you?! Seriously, I can't do all this on my own and God knows where Naboo and Bollo are. The removal guys are late and we're supposed to be picking up the keys from the estate agents at one -"_

"Vince -"

"_- and it's nearly twelve now and if the removers don't get here soon and I'm gonna have a fit. You did tell them eleven, right?"_

"Yes, I did. Have you tried calling them?"

"_Howard, I am trying to make sure we've packed up our entire life and not forgotten anything. Plus, remember that big box you taped up yesterday? Well, the bottom fell out of it and I've been running around trying to find something else to pull everything in because we don't have any boxes left and apparently the shop round the corner isn't allowed to give their empty boxes away so now I'm -"_

"Vince! Breathe. Look, I'm leaving now, okay?"

"_Fine."_

**Half an hour later...**

"_Howard! Why are you still at the club? Why? I'm gonna kill you, I swear. The removers are here – said you told them twelve -"_

"What? I bloody well did not!"

"_- not that that makes any difference because it was quarter past when they got here anyway, and the fat hairy one is really creeping me out and he keeps calling me darlin'! If you don't get your arse back here right now I swear I'll divorce you."_

"All right, all right!"

_Crash!_

"_Oh my God! That's antique, you idiot! Howard, I've gotta go. Hurry up!"_

xxxx

When Howard walked through the front door and up the stairs to the flat, all hell was breaking loose. Vince was yelling at one of the removal men, the 'fat hairy one' he'd told him about on the phone, and the removal man himself was trying to shield himself from a rolled up magazine that Vince was attacking him with.

"What the hell's going on?" he demanded, Vince and the removal man turning to face him.

"He touched my arse!"

"I did not! Look, mister, I didn't lay a hand on your bird, I swear!"

"Bird! I'm not a bird!"

"Look, just get on with your job, please. Vince – come here."

"Don't you go ordering me about!" Vince said, but stomped over to him anyway, finger jabbed towards Howard's face. "You shouldn't have been working in the first place! You knew we were moving today! It could have waited!"

"Look, I needed to get those bookings sorted out, and Marcus is away, so -"

"Oh, yes, Marcus is always bloody away! Are _you _not allowed any time off? I mean, it's not like today was important or anything! It's out first wedding anniversary next month – you gonna be working then, too?!"

Howard grabbed Vince by the shoulders. "Vince, for crying out loud, will you just calm down, please! I'm sorry, okay, I didn't -"

Vince shrugged him off, glaring at him as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Fine. Have you packed everything?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you."

"Oh, for fuck's sake. Go wait in the car."

"What?!"

"I'll help the removers finish here and then we can go and get the keys."

"I'm not fucking five! You can't just send me outside like a child!"

"Stop acting like one then!"

"Fuck you!" Vince stormed off down the stairs, purposefully thumping as hard as he could down each one. Howard ran his hands over his face and through his hair, trying to calm down.

Half an hour later they were ready to leave. Howard locked the front door, wondering whether he should post the keys through the letter box for Naboo to find when he got home, or keep hold of them in case of emergencies. He settled for the latter and went to join Vince in the car. Vince didn't look at him as he got in, he just turned his head the stare out of the passenger window. He didn't even have the radio on, and that was how Howard knew that he was still fuming. Vince _never _got in the car without switching the radio on. He hated the silence. And the fact that he'd stayed there so long without moving...

"You ready?" Howard asked, voice calm, holding out an olive branch of peace.

Vince ignored him.

Howard sighed and started the car, pulling out into the road and dreading the rest of the day. He knew Vince wouldn't get out of his grump any time soon, so he'd just have to grin and bear it.

xxxx

Vince and Howard's new home was a quaint two bedroom period house on the other side of Dalston. After Dark was doing exceedingly well, having built up an impressive client list in the three months it had been open (although, in all honestly, with Marcus's influential contacts, the club had been fully booked before it had even opened), and was already making Howard quite a bit of money, the club packed full every night it was open. That, combined with the money Vince earned from his regular gigs, had afforded them somewhere they had both fallen in love with. Howard had never dared to dream that he would ever be this comfortable, and it was all still a bit alien to him – he still had a habit of keeping Vince on a tight rein when they went shopping, which, he reasoned, was probably for the best anyway, to make up for all the other times he _wasn't _shopping with him. Vince might have more money, but that meant he'd more than likely just spend more.

It was late now, and after a tiring and extremely stressful day, Howard and Vince were crashed out on cushions on the living room floor. Living at Naboo's meant that the only substantial pieces of furniture they owned was their bed, wardrobes, chest of drawers, bedside tables, dressing table and a large, full length mirror. Everything else was just personal items.

Howard turned on his side to look at Vince, who was on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He'd been ignoring Howard all day, rushing about the house and putting things away, only communicating with him with shoulder shrugs and a nod or shake of the head – and that had only been when absolutely necessary.

"Vince?"

"--"

"Talk to me, sweetheart, please."

Vince stayed silent, but turned his head to one side, away from Howard. Howard sat up on the hardwood floor and sighed, trying to figure out his next move. He scooted over to Vince's side, but Vince, obviously preempting this, stood up quickly and walked towards the stairs. Howard jumped up and went after him, catching him by the arm and stopping him from climbing them. Vince tried to squirm out of his grasp, but Howard held him firm.

"Vince, please, I'm sorry. I am, I'm really sorry. Just, please talk to me – please." He placed a kiss to Vince's cheek, then another, and another, and was soon kissing him all over his face and whispering in his ear, Vince standing stiffly to begin with, then seeming to lose his composure the more Howard continued. "Baby, I'm so sorry. Please, please talk to me; baby, please." His voice cracked, his lips moving round to find Vince's. "I love you, I love you," he murmured against him.

Vince, now feeling awful and very stupid, crumbled and kissed him back, his hands coming up to cup his face. Then he burst into tears and flung his arms around Howard's neck. "I'm sorry! It's not your fault, it's mine!" he sobbed, and Howard pulled back from him, watery eyes staring into completely flooded ones.

"No, it's not. I should've... And now I've made you cry!" Howard squeezed Vince tight, looking absolutely devastated with how much he'd upset him. "I'm sorry, little man. Please, don't cry."

"No, no, no – it was my fault! Howard, I know you've been busy, and I know you're workin' hard for _us,_ and I shouldn't have been such a bitch. You haven't upset me, I've upset _you! _And I'm sorry, darlin', I'm so, so, so, so sorry." Vince hiccupped and gulped air into his lungs. "Things kept going wrong, but that was no reason for me to take it out on you. I didn't mean to say all those things. I can't believe I said I'd divorce you! I didn't mean it - I didn't. I'm sorry!"

Howard stroked Vince's hair and kissed the top of his head. "I know, I know - don't apologise. You were right – I shouldn't have gone in today and left you to handle everything on your own. And I didn't mean to be late, I swear. I didn't even notice that the time had gone so quickly. It won't happen again – I promise."

Oddly, that seemed to make Vince even more hysterical, and Howard had to sit them both down on the bottom of the stairs.

"Sweetheart, please..."

"Y-you shouldn't have t-to promise me that. I-I know that when you have to w-work overtime, it's c-cos you really have too. The club's new and it's busy. H-how can you stand me?!"

"What?"

"When I went to see you in America, I p-promised you I'd changed! A-and look what I've gone and done!"

Howard cupped Vince's face and tilted his head up to look at him. "Hey, you stop that right now, you hear me? You haven't done anything at all, and I don't want to hear otherwise. It's been a stressful day, and I didn't help by not being around -"

"But -"

Howard put a finger to Vince's lips. "No, you listen to me. I didn't help, and that's a fact. Come on, now, calm down."

"I love you," Vince wept, clutching at the front of Howard's jumper.

"I know you do, angel. I love you, too."

They stayed huddled on the staircase a while longer, until Vince started to quieten. Howard wiped the tears away from his face, then rubbed his sleeve against Vince's nose. Vince laughed slightly.

"That's disgusting."

"Yeah, well. It needs washing anyway. Come on, let's go to bed. Go on up and I'll bring you some painkillers – stop that headache before it starts. Then tomorrow we can go shopping, kit this place out."

Vince smiled up at him, wet faced, eyelashes clumped together, eyes red and shining, cheeks flushed. Howard gazed back at him adoringly and brushed his fringe back from his face.

"You're so beautiful."

Vince's smile turned into a grin, and he kissed Howard sloppily. "You're too good to me."

"Mmm, probably. Come, up you get." Howard helped Vince to his feet and sent him up the stairs.

Vince paused about halfway up. "Babe?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"Loving me."

Howard smiled. "It's hard not too. And thank _you_, too." He watched as Vince smiled back and tiredly climbed the rest of the way up, clutching the bannister for support.

When he joined him minutes later, Vince was already in bed, one of Howard's old t-shirts covering his slim frame. Howard passed him the tablets and a glass of water, then shrugged out of his clothes and climbed in next to him. Thoroughly exhausted, Vince swallowed drowsily and placed the glass on the floor. Then he slid down under the covers and buried himself against Howard, wrapping an arm around his waist. Howard pulled him close and kissed him gently.

"I love... our new... house," Vince said sleepily, barely able to keep his eyes open. "Not as much... as you... though."

Howard smiled. "Close your eyes and go to sleep now, sweetheart," he whispered, against Vince's ear.

In an instant, Vince fell into a deep sleep, Howard not too far behind him.


End file.
